By By Maryjane Williams,The Berkshire Eagle

Copyright berkshireeagle

PITTSFIELD — The smell of fresh espresso will soon return to North Street.

After more than two months of closure, Dottie’s Coffee Lounge will reopen on Oct. 1 under the management of former shift leader Loic Adandedjan.

Founder and longtime owner Jessica Rufo put the café on the market this summer to focus on her family. Rather than see the shop close, Adandedjan, 25, stepped forward.

“I heard that she was about to close…[and] I felt really sad about it. I [didn’t] want this vibe to just go away,” Adandedjan said. “I feel really excited about this, because I’ve already been into this environment. I know most of the daily operations of this coffee shop.”

Adandedjan is subleasing the café from Rufo, who will mentor him throughout the process. He hopes to purchase the business within the next six months to a year if all goes well.

While keeping Dottie’s signature atmosphere, Adandedjan plans to refresh the space with new décor, freshly painted walls and adjusted seating to make it “roomier” and “more loungy.”

The coffee shop will operate from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, focusing solely on daytime service. The nighttime restaurant and lounge, Dorothy’s Estaminet, will not reopen for now, Adandedjan said.

The cafe’s menu will remain largely the same, he added, though slightly streamlined.

With a background in digital marketing and content creation, Adandedjan said he plans to boost Dottie’s visibility online while also promoting other local businesses.

“My goal is to make this place… a destination,” he said. “I want them to come and enjoy the full experience of the city… so promoting small businesses all around us, shedding light on them, and through this way, we can make Pittsfield a city where people want to come and visit.”

Some familiar faces will be returning, Adandedjan said, but since some other employees had to find other jobs during the hiatus he expects a mix of returning and new employees when the café reopens.

The community, however, has remained constant in its support.

“We really started engaging through social media, and reached more than 50,000 people on our recent content,” Adandedjan said, referencing the post on Dottie’s Instagram announcing the reopening. “People started reaching out directly, like it’s so exciting for you to come back.”

As the reopening approaches, Adandedjan said he’s eager to welcome customers back.

“Dottie’s Coffee Lounge is not dead,” he said. “It will come back to life… The vibe will be as amazing as it was.”